


Stars, Sketches, Sugar, and Surprises

by orphan_account



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-27
Updated: 2013-09-27
Packaged: 2017-12-27 18:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/982426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Missing scenes from the finale episode of Free!, where Rei's teammates show their appreciation for him being the amazing angel that he is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stars, Sketches, Sugar, and Surprises

**Author's Note:**

> I just have way too many feelings for Rei Ryugazaki right now. (also gomen if the formatting is weird, AO3 kept spacing things oddly adkjsaldsa)

**god of the sea**

Rei folded his unworn swimsuit into a perfect square, placing it directly in the center of his bag, when he heard a knock at the door. Thinking it was Nagisa coming back from his sudden last-minute shopping trip, he called out, saying no, he’d pass on the strawberry milk ice tonight.

To his surprise, it wasn’t Nagisa. Makoto entered with his hands in his pockets, smiling shyly, the twinkle in his eyes just as bright as it was that afternoon during the relay. Seeing such an expression caused a tiny, sharp ache in the fourth left intercostal space of Rei’s chest, one that didn’t feel _bad_ but… was not a feeling he was used to quite yet. 

“Rei, if you’re not tired, do you mind taking a walk with me?” Makoto asked.

He blinked, wondering at the strangeness of the request. Usually it was Haru that accompanied Makoto, the two of them always lagging slightly behind him and Nagisa, content to go about in their own pace. On top of that, the timing of the situation was odd too, because it was 9:38 in the evening, and Makoto wasn’t the type to make whimsical suggestions if there was a chance it would inconvenience someone.

Sensing his confusion, Makoto’s smile quirked a millimeter higher, and he said, “There’s something I’d like you to see.”

Unable to refuse, Rei nodded quietly, and followed Makoto out of the hotel. He zipped up his tracksuit, estimating the outdoor temperature to be 10 degrees Celsius with the occasional light wind. Despite the chill, Makoto kept his jacket tied over his shoulder, the Iwatobi logo creased in the center. It fluttered between them, the only noise filling up the silence while they walked past the park, beyond the shopping district, and somewhere Rei had not yet ventured.

Makoto slowed his footsteps, indicating they were getting close to their destination. He tilted his head in the direction northwest, leading up to a set of staircases illuminated by a solitary streetlamp. The sign was obscured by the overgrowth of bushes, but Makoto seemed confident in where they were going, so Rei stumbled after him, his heartbeat quickening. Makoto offered a sideways glance when he nearly missed a step in the dark, but the shadows cast by the trees lining each side of the railings kept his face unreadable, hiding whatever clues Rei would have relied on to figure out what was going on.

“Ah,” Makoto said. They reached the clearing, which consisted of an empty lot and a few stone benches. In the center, there was a shallow fountain, the water turned off for the night. Its smooth, undisturbed surface reflected the waning moon, the wispy clouds, and faint stars. Rei’s confusion was about to reach critical levels when Makoto pointed behind him, revealing a large, black telescope Rei wasn’t sure how he managed to miss on his way up.

“…Makoto-senpai?”

Were they here to stargaze?

His uncertainty was answered, when Makoto turned and his smile widened.

“Tonight, we’re supposed to be able to see Neptune,” he said.

Without further explanation, Makoto bent over to adjust the settings on the telescope, his fingers darting elegantly over the notches and dials. It surprised him, as he hadn’t taken Makoto to be the type to observe the night sky in his spare time.

“Have you used one of these before?” Makoto asked. He motioned for Rei to lean in and stare through the lens, his gentle instructions gliding over Rei’s ears as his vision suddenly narrowed and expanded all at once, the faint stars focusing into clarity while the rest of the world fell away.

“You can use this to turn.” Makoto’s fingers brushed his, tilting the telescope up by at least fifteen degrees. The motion made Rei a little dizzy, but he couldn’t complain when he caught the glimmer of a small, blue dot amongst the countless white stars. Neptune. Normally, one waited until late August when the planet was closest to the Earth to observe it in its full beauty. Even then, it was impossible to visualize with the naked eye, so one had to rely on instruments to locate it on the horizon.

“It’s very pretty, isn’t it?” Makoto said. “Back when we were in training camp, when you listed all the constellations, I thought about how nice it was, being able to share the night sky with everyone.”

Rei listened, the memories of that weekend washing over him, cooling the part of him that still burned from the emotional chaos of the afternoon.

“I was really happy,” Makoto continued, “because I got to experience the look of wonder on everyone’s faces. Seeing the vast, open sky surrounded by water… that sight, it’s the same as what I saw today in the relay.”

Rei held his breath, the tightness in his chest returning, but this time it didn’t disappear as quickly as it had left prior. No, it was an enduring kind of ache, the sort that Rei knew he would have to adjust to now that Rin had finally made amends with everyone.

A sharp click distracted him from his bittersweet thoughts. His eyes focused in time to catch the streak of a shooting star, but not quickly enough to make a wish. Nagisa would be disappointed.

“I wanted to show you the sky again,” Makoto said. His voice was much closer now, almost next to his ear. “Because Rei was the one who made it possible.”

His mind halted, his thoughts going quiet, while the implications of that sentence processed through the gray matter of his brain.

“Without Rei, we wouldn’t have a swim team. We would’ve gone our separate ways, and stayed the way we were. Haru wouldn’t have smiled as much, Nagisa would have been lonelier, and I… well, I would’ve still been scared.”

Rei was glad his eyes were buried in the telescope, because they were starting to warm up dangerously. He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of his senpai, not when he had managed to put up such a collected, determined front all throughout the day without breaking.

“You probably know this… but you saved us. Understanding Rin’s feelings, being able to communicate them, that’s something none of us managed,” Makoto said. “When you offered your place, it was a real shock.”

His glasses were fogging up, Rei realized. He wanted to be irritated, but the swell of pressure building inside him was too powerful to be tamed by such a petty thing.

“None of us would’ve even considered such a possibility. But you were so adamant, and the look in your eyes told me, right away, _why_. Rin was just beginning to understand what we learned together as a team. You knew, if he swam with us, he would never forget.”

Makoto’s hand landed on his shoulder, gripping it firmly.

“You saved us,” he repeated. “As your captain… your teammate… your _friend_ …”

Rei pulled away from the telescope, his glasses askew, his nose running, and his face radiating with heat.

“ _Thank you._ ”

Not concerned that he was going to get snot over his shirt, Makoto hugged him, laughing in delight as Rei returned the hug with fierce conviction, causing them to fall over backwards in an ungraceful heap of arms and jackets. Rei’s illusion of composure and maturity was completely shattered, but he didn’t care a single bit.

When they managed to roll to the side and untangle their legs, they looked up simultaneously at the sky, their eyes wide with wonder as the clouds disappeared entirely, leaving behind a perfect, clear view of the universe. Above them, unassuming and hidden in plain sight, was Neptune. Rei didn’t have the scientific evidence to back it up, but he was certain the faraway, blue planet was glowing a tad brighter tonight.

You just had to know where to look.

 

 

 

 

**more than words**

When Rei returned to his room, he found Haruka kneeling on the floor, a long sheet of paper half-rolled between his and Nagisa’s beds. Makoto made a vague gesture with his hands, silently exchanging a brief conversation with Haruka, before excusing himself.

By the time they had walked back to the hotel, Rei had managed to calm the flush on his face and wipe away most of the mess with the end of his sleeve. Still, he averted his gaze when Haruka looked up, knowing he would probably start getting worked up again.

“Welcome back,” Haruka said. He added a final stroke with his pen before nodding to himself in satisfaction. “I’m glad Makoto called in advance so I could get this ready.”

Curious, Rei snuck a look.

The scroll was completely unraveled, showcasing Haruka’s artistic talent. Across the top, in big bold kanji, was the word _nakama_. Underneath were five amazingly detailed illustrations drawn in colored pencils of each of them, including Rin, captured in mid-stroke. He was surprised to see himself in the center, the water splashing over his outstretched arms like a butterfly.

“Haruka-senpai…” he whispered. “It’s _beautiful_.”

“Look on the other side.”

Rei kneeled across from him and carefully picked up the ends of the paper, which was so light and thin he imagined he could tear it with one wrong move.

On the other side, Haruka had drawn a picture, Rei in the center again, this time wearing the Iwatobi jersey over his purple jammers. The rest of them were huddled around him, wearing only their swimsuits and goggles, posing like they would for a celebratory picture. What was unique about the illustration wasn’t the composition however.

Similar to reality, Haruka had not drawn the four of them with medals, since they were immediately disqualified after placing first in the relay. He _did_ add something different, a detail that threatened to ruin Rei’s composure for the second time that evening.

At the center, Rei proudly wore a white, blue, and red ribbon over his neck. The illustrated version of his self was smiling, holding up a gold medal with the inscription

_MVP_

“Nagisa wanted us to actually make a medal,” Haruka said. “But we ran out of time so… for now…”

He trailed off, his cheeks pinking as Rei stared, his mouth open in astonishment.

“Makoto suggested once we get more money for the club, we could try making a plaque,” Haruka mumbled.

Well, that would certainly take a while, Rei thought. Considering the consequences of pulling a stunt like they did at a Regionals tournament, he suspected the school would be less than willing to hand over funds until they won a legitimate race.

But that was neither here nor there.

“Something like this… isn’t it too much?” Rei asked, a nervous chuckle rising over the lump in his throat. “We’re a team, so every member is important, right?”

Haruka leveled him with a solemn stare. His eyes had the uncanny ability to bore straight through someone, which Rei always found mildly unsettling. Whereas Makoto was easy-going and reassuring, Haruka was quietly, unapologetically intense.

“What you did was more than what any of us could have done on our own,” Haruka said firmly. “The three of us decided it was only right to acknowledge that.”

The colored pencils by Haruka’s feet rolled away, vanishing underneath the bed.

“Plus… I-I…” Haruka’s face was pinker than Nagisa’s pajamas. “I never got a chance to thank you.”

This time, it was Rei who initiated the hug, and he half-expected Haruka to protest, like he did whenever anyone tried to squeeze him with affection. But today was full of surprises, because Haruka slowly reached up and returned the hug, his eyes closing as a smile, small, satisfied and sincere, emerged from his lips.

To Rei, that simple gesture meant more than a thousand spoken gratitudes.

 

 

 

**jelly cakes**

Nagisa returned from his late night adventure, armed with more bags of food than Rei imagined was possible to carry. Makoto appeared by his side, carrying a stack of paper plates and utensils that had little stars marked over them.

“Rei-chan, guess what I found?”

He dropped the bags over his bed, spilling the drinks and snacks everywhere. Nagisa grabbed the party hat from the corner, a metallic purple cone with butterflies embroidered in gemstones. It looked too small to fit his head, which was why he balked when Nagisa approached him, his grin mischievous.

“I’m not wearing that!” he said.

“Uh-uh, Rei-chan, this isn’t negotiable,” Nagisa said.

Then he pounced.

Makoto and Haruka simply laughed at his struggle as Nagisa, having accumulated the top-secret knowledge of Rei’s most ticklish areas, managed to reduce him to a squirming, squeaking mess, before strapping on the hat victoriously over his chin.

“There! This is Nagisa’s ‘Special Deluxe Platinum Iwatobi Edition Crown’!”

“That’s too long,” Rei complained. “Plus this isn’t a _crown_ , it’s a _mffkkalljh!_ ”

“Mmm, good good,” Nagisa said, nodding his head sagely. “MVP should gracefully accept this finely crafted cornet, baked in Italy with the best Swiss chocolate luxury can buy.”

Makoto yelped about choking hazards, scrambling to find a bottle of chilled tea, while Nagisa ripped off a piece of the cornet that was hanging from Rei’s mouth, popping the dessert into his own to savor the taste. The fact that none of them thought this was weird should have probably worried Rei, if it weren’t for the fact that the sugar was beginning to burn the back of his throat.

Haruka, poker-faced, took out his cell phone and snapped a picture without warning. Everyone froze in their respective, awkward positions, stunned by the fact that apparently, this was the one time he had thought to bring his phone along.

“Hey, Haru, let me see!” Makoto leaned over his shoulder. “Wow, Rei looks like he’s dying.”

 _I_ am _dying_ , Rei thought weakly, while Nagisa happily shoved the cornet further down his throat.

“We could try another one. This time, in the Iwatobi Super Sexy MVP edition swimsuit – ”

Rei violently coughed, the poor, soggy remains of the cornet falling to the carpet. How Haruka was able to say such things in a deadpan expression was beyond Rei, quite frankly, and the faint gleam in his senpai’s eyes told him maybe Haruka wasn’t _entirely_ joking.

“Here, take a sip,” Makoto said, patting his back.

When Rei managed to stop coughing, Nagisa assembled a spread that included not only those dangerous cornets, but many of Rei’s guilty-pleasure convenience snacks as well. Although they lacked the proper nutrients and calories needed for a growing swimmer, he secretly enjoyed gummy candy molding kits, collecting various types (his favorite being the _magic sushi set_ ). Based on the wide selection, Rei wondered if Nagisa had managed to clear the entire aisle’s worth of gummy candy molding kits on one trip alone.

“All right! Next part of the MVP party is… to bake a cake!” Nagisa pointed at the pile.

“Isn’t it made of jelly?” Makoto asked, bemused.

“There’s a hamburger set too,” Haruka said.

“This requires a great deal of coordination and teamwork,” Nagisa went on, ignoring the side commentary. “Never before has anyone managed to bake a cake of this complexity, this many layers, until… _now._ ”

The largest packet was roughly five times the size of the rest. Rei wondered where on earth Nagisa managed to find it, considering the appeal of molding candy was in its simple, miniature size.

“Haru-chan, you’re in charge of designing the decorations. Mako-chan, you have to stabilize the layers. Rei-chan and I will make the batter and mold it!”

Under Nagisa’s leadership, they ran a highly dysfunctional pseudo-bakery, everyone’s elbows and knees getting in the way as they struggled to pour the jelly in very light, plastic compartments and remove the pieces using the tiny, 2.5-centimeter knives that made their hands look horrifyingly gigantic. They reached over each other, argued about which powder was supposed to go where, and at one point Nagisa was caught eating the fake icing before they had finished finalizing the top layer, causing further chaos.

Eventually, with Haruka’s innate artistic sense, Makoto’s sane voice of reason, and Nagisa’s unending enthusiasm, they managed to build a multi-layer jelly cake that had a little quivering butterfly resting on top of it. Rei would have spent more hours perfecting the roundness of the cake layers, and evened out the sugary particles inside each jelly mold instead of just haphazardly mixing them, but despite those flaws, he had to admit it looked rather impressive.

“Okay, picture time!” Nagisa grabbed Rei by the collar, and naturally the other two fell into the frame. “Makoto, your arms are longest, so you take a picture.”

Using Haruka’s phone, they posed for one more picture, everyone’s faces and fingers sticky with purple and lime-green powder. Before Nagisa released him, the little devil whispered in his ear,

“Rei-chan, when we get home, I’ll show _my_ appreciation. Slowly,” he purred.

The delayed flash went off, and it became the second time Rei appeared to be dying on camera.

 

**timestamp**

It wasn’t until they were on the morning bus back to Iwami-cho that Rei discovered he had new messages on his phone.

Since Nagisa was dead asleep, drooling over his shoulder, Rei knew he could open them free from prying eyes.

The first one read:

**_Yesterday 9:30 PM (1)_ **

_Hey._

That was all it said. He opened up the second message, his brows creasing.

**_Yesterday 9:55 PM (2)_ **

_Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you how to do the butterfly right._

_We can’t swim in a medley if you guys don’t even make it past_

_Prefecturals next year._

**_Yesterday 9:56 PM (3)_ **

_Your speedo-megane ass better meet me at the train station,_

_10:00 sharp. Be prepared._

He glanced at his watch, groaning upon the realization it was already nine. They would have departed earlier had the four of them not fallen asleep in Nagisa and Rei’s room at three in the morning, drunk on sugar-alcohol. He was about to come up with some kind of apologetic response, when suddenly his phone vibrated.

**_Today 9:04 AM (4)_ **

_Also…_

_Thanks. For letting swim with your team._

When Nagisa woke up, he became instantly curious about the way Rei cupped his phone to his pocket, smiling to himself for no apparent reason (“it’s kind of creepy, Rei-chan…”), but he refused to divulge his secret. This resulted in Nagisa whining for the next thirty minutes, attempting to steal his phone, and Makoto scolding them in his sleep, while Haruka napped peacefully, blissfully unaware of the battle developing in the backseat of the bus.

By the time they arrived back home, Nagisa had given up for the day, insisting he would return with vengeance tomorrow when his stomach wasn’t aching quite as badly from sugar levels high even for him. Rei was relieved, because if he had to divert Nagisa on top of practicing his butterfly stroke, he was sure he would be exhausted.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he stretched his legs, feeling lighter and more energized than ever.

 

 

 

 


End file.
